運命への旅 The Journey to fate
by BUNNEYH
Summary: The story of Saika Magoichi's escapades and his eventual fate. The official pairing is not confirmed yet, as he'll meet many different women during his travels.*This used to be my first fanfic but I deleted it and rewritten it for a more mature taste.*
1. Prolouge

It was during a cold sunset when Saika Magoichi nearly succumbed to his exhaustion. As the sun began to sink, Magoichi realized that his time was limited. Limited to what, he didn't know. He didn't have an idea of what he is doing nor what his purpose of living was anymore. He simply lived day to day, as if life itself is just a dream. The time that passed before him seemed insignificant, blurry yet seemed to last forever. He had been stubbornly running for a long time from a fate he, in the depths of his heart, knew he cannot escape from. His defeat, capture and execution was imminent, him running away would only prolong a period of confusion and conflict. He gambled everything he ever had with a daring assault at Azuchi Castle. He thought he had won initially, but reality kicked in faster than the speed of a bullet, and he realized that he had lost everything he ever had. As the ghosts of his past and the turmoil that erupted even further throughout this war-torn land began to creep up on him, his life began crumbling down. He used to revel in not having a goal, living day-by-day as if he had so much life ahead of him, but now, it seemed to mock him. Life seemed like an elaborate trap that he could't get out of. He feels as if he was watched by a group of people, all laughing at his current predicament. Though what was left of his personality refused to admit it, he knew he was lost. He was lost in the forest and lost in his mind.

Magoichi shouldered the burden of being the man who killed Oda Nobunaga, the fool of Owari. The Demon King who was well on his way to unite the land through strategic warfare and brutality.

Most who were close to him during brief times of peace, closed and locked their doors when he came seeking to find a place to hide. They pretended to be away, visiting their families or doing trivial things such as sight-seeing. Nobody wanted to be associated with an assassin. Though when the Demon King was alive, people condemned him, criticizing his idiosyncrasies, his insistence to allow Christian missionaries into the land, and his sheer brutality and inhumanity when it came to warfare. Most people wanted someone to stop his ever-growing power, yet nobody had the courage to kill the king of demons. They condemn famed heroes of the time, expecting them to have superhuman qualities that they do not have. People expected famed and brave warriors to be able to kill the Demon King, but none stood up against him. Some men claimed to plot conspiracies to kill the demon, but very few were carried out. People who challenged Oda Nobunaga were silenced by just a look from him and nobody had the courage to kill the demon. Finally, after years burning with the desire of revenge for his fallen comrades, Saika Magoichi began a lone attempt to end his personal war with the demon.

He pulled the trigger, with mixed emotions filling his soul. He left with a bitter taste in his mouth and a feeling vocabulary could not express in his chest. He wasn't a fool, he knew his actions would cause people to become divided into praising him or loathing him. Oda Nobunaga's followers were the most loyal in the land, they would surely locate and kill the man who sniped their lord. Along with the men who sheltered the assassin. Some people commended him on his brave assault and tried to support him while others shunned him, fearing the threat of execution.

Magoichi forced his knees to support his weight as he clumsily stood up again, putting a hand on the bark of a tree to help himself stand tall. His feet until half of his knees were covered deep in the chilling embrace of snow. He took a strong stride forward, aiming to reach a hopefully nearby village before sunset. His optimism begun to fade after a terrible string of bad luck seemed to plague him. Magoichi was a fairly realistic person, not believing in folklore nor superstitions. He believed the spooky ones to be constructed just to scare children into doing what they're told and the others as an old wives' tale. He did though, believed in lady luck. It grieved his soul entirely when he found out that she was no longer smiling upon him. He wondered what he had done to incur her wrath. Could it be that she preferred the coldness and inhumanity of the fool of Owari above the charms and good-looks of the wild gunman? Women were always difficult to predict.

Magoichi walked further, his body aching after days of traveling without rest. His torn gloves pathetically tried to give warmth to his numb, blood-stained fingers. He had wrapped a long fabric around his neck and head to provide himself with some warmth though he resembled much like that of a ninja. He didn't quite understood the general way of thinking of a ninja. He had met quite a few during his time as a wanderer and their characteristics have always struck him as odd. Some had a mother complex, others had unhealthy obsessions with their lord, shadows and even chaos. He had never met a ninja who was not eccentric in their mannerisms.

Magoichi gripped his musket tightly in his hands, it was his only steady companion throughout his escapades. His musket felt heavier in his hands than it had ever been. He felt the urge to just toss the iron aside and succumb to his fatigue, die amongst the thick pile of snow in the middle of a forest, his body never to be found. He shook such grim thoughts away from his mind and with his strong will, he took more steps forward. His terrible mood was not elevated by the towering trees that surrounded him, reminding him how humans are dwarfed compared to the grander and mysterious natural surroundings. The trees and mountains have been around since the dawn of time, yet they have never squabbled over who is most rightful to rule the land. Humans, who dominated the land long after the creation of mountains and trees have been fighting amongst each other for as long as recorded history. Magoichi smirked at the irony that the most intelligent creatures in the land are the only ones prone to such selfishness and idiocy.

Amongst the many different types of pain that was assaulting his being, one pain stood out the most. The worst of his troubles was that he deeply craved for the presence of another person by his side. Rightfully, another woman by his side. He had always preferred the fairer sex to accompany him throughout his journeys should he feel lonely. Yet, as fate dictates, he was traveling alone, aching for the presence of grace and womanly affections. Right now, he thought, he would even settle for that violet-red haired girl who used to linger in his presence. Even if she was too young for his tastes.

He wondered what her name was. Was it Garasha? Garuda?

Gracia. He remembered. He remembered everything they went through together. To be frank, it was more like what he went through with her watching him from behind. Well, that sounded a bit more creepy than intended.

Pain and exhaustion suddenly caught his knees. He fell face down on the thick snow beneath him, dropping his musket as he fell. Struggling to rise up again, Magoichi suddenly laughed out of frustration. He couldn't control his laughter, though he feared that he might have finally lost his mind. At the end of his laugher, he cursed loudly and clearly. Cursed at his damn luck, cursed at the selfish people who lied to him, and cursed at the fact that he was most probably going to die of either hunger, dehydration, hypothermia, fatigue or from his wounds. Maybe all of them at once considering the how hard he's pushing himself. Even he had his limits, he couldn't laugh his problems away anymore. He would be laughing forever had he tried.

Shivering, he picked up his musket and began to breathe aloud as he brought himself to sit and enjoy the company of a nearby tree. He leaned against the hard surface of the tree and winced in pain as every ache in his body threatened to kill him. Heavily breathing, he slowly opened his coat and the clothes beneath it to reveal an incompletely healed bullet wound near his shoulder and collarbone. He saw dried blood stains on the bandage covering it and painfully gasped as he accidentally touched the wound with his hand. He gritted his teeth as he binds the bandage tighter. He was careful not to become reckless or else he would risk to re-open the wound again. He knew that wound could kill him if he's not careful, it was a painful reminder of the difficulty of running away from the pawns of the Demon King. His health was failing and he needed a desperate change of plans.

He took out a canteen made of tanned deer hide and desperately drank the cold water, realizing that his supply of water was running thin. He kept the canteen inside a small bag that was slung on his back along with some food and his stash of bullets. The harsh blow of the wind slapped his face fiercely as he gripped his coat tightly, trying to exude some warmth throughout his body.

He knew he had to keep moving to survive, but he couldn't. He could barely move anymore. He needed a moment to recollect his thoughts and relax his tense body. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He knew he would not see another sunrise if he fell asleep. To die after coming this far was never his intention. He simply needed relaxation.

He finally stopped and think about the impact that his actions had caused, the people he left behind though it was difficult for his worn-out heart to feel relief, not seeing the chaos that ensued because of his actions.

Amongst the chaos developing in his head, he was reminded of a promise he made. The warmth he felt just by thinking of her reminded him that she was the reason he kept on surviving. He promised to meet her again, under the falling petals of the cherry blossom tree. He smiled, for the first time in days, revelling himself into the times when his life was much simpler.


	2. Two years ago

Saika Magoichi felt the exuberant warmth of the morning sun bathing his face. His eyes opened slowly as an immediate grin followed suit. He heard the soft and pleasant melody of a group of birds, outside the window. He saw the sun was already quite high in the bright blue sky. The clouds were strangely absent as the blue sky seemed to become as vast as the sea.

Magoichi stretched his arms and yawned, trying to find the slightest reminder as to where exactly he was located in. He was devoid of any clothing, finding himself under and elaborately decorated sheets. The room seemed to belong to woman of class. He sighed with relief, now conforming that he did not sinfully slept with a person of his own gender.

Suddenly, his memory snapped back into his mind. He remembered the girl he had enjoyed a blissful night with. She was quite young, she had probably lived for only fifteen or sixteen years of age. He saw her as she was innocently browsing through some accessory boxes at an expensive store in the noble quarters.

Magoichi grinned again when he remembered how exactly a free-spirited mercenary like him managed to even set foot in the noble quarters. He had multiple contacts, people he knew would help him when he needed their aid. So long as he knew the right way to convince them./PPHe digressed, remembering the girl of last night. She had a milky white skin paired with blood-red lips. Her beautifully innocent black eyes carefully examined the items the merchant had in his possession. She placed the accessory box on the table separating herself and the merchant and delicately reached for her purse.

Accidentally, she dropped her purse and Magoichi took his chance and rushed to her aid. His hand reached the purse at the same time hers did. They both shot their eyes at each other simultaneously and he knew she was as bewitched as he was the moment their eyes met.

He smiled to himself and position himself to sit up and rested his head on his hands that were at the back of his head. He looked over to his side and saw the young lady he had met only a twelve hours ago. Her name was Sakuyahime. She was almost void of clothing, wearing only the outer robes of her expensive and well-decorated kimono that he helped her undress from the night before. She playfully giggled and jumped on her futon as he took her into his arms. She could not contain her excitement to be in his presence.

"Someone's happy." Magoichi remarked while grinning at her.

Sakuya went on top of him with a smirk matching his own.

"Maybe.." she purred, running a hand on his chest. Her hands stopped wondering when it reached his muscular abdomen. She bit her lip playfully as her eyes looked at him in a suggestive manner.

Magoichi grinned as she lowered herself to meet his lips with her own. He took her into an enchanting deep kiss. He ran his hand through her silky black hair as their kiss intensifies. The fire burning inside the duo became almost unbearable. He sat up and decided to dominate the girl.

She broke the kiss gently, in order to breathe again. She bit her lips again as she giggled with the innocence of a little girl. Magoichi wondered how she could retain her innocence after he had tarnished it in their secluded moment the night before. He grinned and was leaning towards her in order to repeat their previous activity when they heard faint footsteps accompanied with a voice that sounded like a mans.

"It's Father!" Sakuya yelped as she ran towards the pile of clothing that was abandoned and reached for his clothes. She hurriedly threw them at him as he instinctively grabbed them.

"Put on your clothes now! The guards are on the other quarters of the mansion, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to escape." She informed him as he struggled to put on his pants. He knew something was amiss when his friend Keiji presented him with a pair of pants out of the blue!

"You have to go now!" Sakuya yelped as she put on her clothes. Magoichi nodded.

"Sakuyahime? I hope you are awake, dearest. Your tutor should be here any minute now…" the duo panicked as the voice became louder and louder. Magoichi finally got his pants on and quickly took his other garments in his hands as he darted towards the window. Sakuya looked at him with worried eyes.

"Wait!" She called out for him. "Will I see you again?" She asked as she walked towards him again, running her hand on his bare chest.

"You can fall of a building, you can fall out a tree, but baby, the best way is to fall in love with me." he said with a classic Magoichi grin accompanied with a wink. He had an abundant supply of cheesy one liners in his mind. He was about to take her lips into his own again when the sliding door swung open.

"Sakuyahime, dear, get dressed…..WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? WHAT ARE DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?"

"Mister, I can explain." Magoichi raised his hands up to reason with his lover's father, realizing that his attempt was futile and failing miserably as the man's face was beet-red with rage.

"Or maybe not." Magoichi remarked as he turned and jumped out of the window, hearing Sakuya screaming his name in shock as her father peeked his head out the window, summoning the guards to capture the 'assailant'. Magoichi fell on his feet safely on the lower rooftops of the mansion and ran as fast as his legs could muster.

He instinctively scanned for nearby rooftops to plan his way out of the mansion. Suddenly, an arrow passed directly in front of his face. He spun his head immediately towards the guard who fired the arrow and saw him on a tower, his hands reaching for a second arrow to shoot at him with. His eyes held the intention to kill.

"Damn it! Orders spread so fast!" Magoichi remarked as his legs kept him running from the guards. He was out in the open and was like a sitting duck on the roof. He needed to gain higher ground to map out his escape. To be able to sprint while dodging arrows that were meant to kill him while maintaining his balance on a Japanese-styled roof was a really difficult ordeal to accomplish. Luckily, or so he thought, Saika Magoichi was a professional. It was not the first time he had to escape a from a deluded father who could not loosen his grip on his beautiful daughter while being chased by a group of blood-thirsty guards who would risk everything to obtain his head in order to have a larger stipend. So, Magoichi kept as much composure as he could.

"Don't lose your balance, don't lose your balance, don't lose your balance…" Magoichi hummed to himself as the bloodthirsty guards shouted unnecessary and overly dramatic threats and yells with every step they took. Magoichi snickered at the idiocy they displayed as they tried to run on the rooftops of the mansion with their heavy armor acting as a major disturbance. He heard them scream in fear as they most likely fell followed by angry curses. Magoichi reached a tower in front of him and scaled it quite difficultly. He knocked out the guard at the his post swiftly with a kick on his head. Gasping for air, he quickly took in his surroundings and mapped out an escape route. He saw another building close to the mansion that he could run to if he could jump far enough from the rooftops. He doubted that idea, it would be difficult had he fallen just shy of the desired location. He would surely get caught in an instance.

He heard a guard shouting "THERE HE IS!" he spun around and saw a group of guars running towards him with their bows and swords high up in the air.

"Saika Magoichi, this is where you improvise!" he thought to himself and closed his eyes as he jumped off the tower, abandoning his previous idea to get out using the rooftops. Lady luck must be smiling upon him today as he landed directly into a large pile of haystack. He jumped out when the guards, let by Sakuya's father who was holding a curved sword menacingly, ran past the haystack believing that he ran the other way. Magoichi sighed with relief, being thankful that he could still live to see another day. He sprinted directly towards the gates that were left unprotected.

It was just his incredible luck that Sakuya's tutor had just appeared and the gates were being opened to allow him to enter. Magoichi saw a light at the end of the tunnel and believed that he could finally escape the mansion unharmed. He ran with his eyes closed and his arms spread wide open. They poor tutor's eyes were wide with fear as he saw a half-naked man running directly towards him in such a manner./PP"I'm getting out of here, suckers!" Magoichi thought to himself gleefully.

"HE'S GETTING AWAY! CLOSE THE GATES!" /PPMagoichi cursed. His eyes shot open too late as he accidentally collided with the tutor, sending the poor old man toppling backwards, his multiple books flew in the air as his research papers decorated the ground. Magoichi sat up, rubbing his head painfully. He had never in his life collided so painfully with someone else that he believed the old man's head to be implanted with steel.

He forced himself to rise up and ran as the gates were being closed, accidentally causing more torment for the tutor as his foot met the tutor's head of steel. He screamed in agony as Magoichi swore he heard a loud crack. With only seconds running from the clock until the gates would be shut, Magoichi ran with all his might. He couldn't hear the threats Sakuya's father was shouting, everything evaporates. Only himself and the gate were left in existence. Time seemed to slow down as his route towards escaping drew shorter and the gap between the gate was only a few meters open.

Miraculously, he managed to slide out of the mansion as the gates immediately closed up behind him. He let out a nervous laugh as his heart was still pounding in a fast rhythm inside his chest. He got up and patted his pants with his hands and faced the mansion. Sakuya's father and the guards were banging and screaming for the gates to be open yet again.

He laughed. "Take that, old man!" He put his trench coat on and ran a hand through his hair. He spun around and walked away. His imposing figure disappeared amongst the large crowd of people in the noble quarters in the capital city of feudal Japan.

"Where they hell have you been?" the thunderous voice of Magoichi's parter in crime and metal buddy, Maeda Keiji inquired him. Magoichi replied with a grin as he took out a stool beside the large man and finally allowed his body to rest on the seat. The tavern was the place they frequently met up at after a day of escapades or run-ins with the legal force. The Jakkasu izakaya drinking establishment. The owner of the tavern, Ohsan-san had already recognize them as regulars and always had a special spot reserved for them.

Maeda Keiji was a wild man who was a part of the noble Maeda family while Saika Magoichi was a leader of a brigade who had the common touch. That was how Ohsan-san described the two.

The tavern was located in the Commoner's Quarters, where the eccentric, non-law abiding citizens often gathered in. The place was undeniably quite popular, especially to the outcasts or the Kabukimono where they could escape the wrath of society into a place where everybody was on an equal footing. The irony was that the tavern was filled with Kabukimonos who were famous for the immoral activities they committed yet the owner of the establishment, Ohsan-san, was a kind, soft-spoken, frail, well-mannered and likable old man who puts his family above everything else. Nobody would even suspect that the old man could open up a tavern, let alone a Kabukimono tavern named 'Jakkasu'.

The tavern itself was not large, it had two floors, the first floor being the bar whereas the second floor served as an inn of sorts that had to be reserved first before it could be accessed. It contained several small rooms for special occasions such as private meetings or such things that needed privacy and secrecy.

The first floor was especially crowded at night and it became almost impossible to talk without shouting. The tavern had traditional Japanese motifs as it was built mostly of solid wood, it's roof was traditional. There were several seats surrounding the bar and a few other seats arranged around the tavern.

Keiji slammed his drink on the bar counter, laughing while shaking his head, resembling much of a lion as he did so. His figure was intimidating, he was much taller than the average man, his body was burly, and his hair was wild, messy and long, resembling the mane of a lion. He had fine blonde hair which was extremely rare in the Japanese society. He dressed like a Kabukimono and would always on impulse, act the exact opposite of what others expect him to do in order to give the impression of unpredictability.

Keiji and Magoichi had known each other for a long time. They both shared the same ideals and codes of living. They believed in enjoying freedom to it's fullest and lived as if each day as if it were their last. When the world would betray them, they would have each other's backs, believing and trusting each other like a pair of insepreble dogs.

Keiji understood by just a facial expression of what Magoichi really meant. He stared at him as he had a smile of disbelief on his lips. Ohsan-san served some sake in an ochoko for Magoichi. He smiled at him as he took the ochoko in his hands calmly.

"How was the girl?"

"A nobleman's daughter. Would you believe that?" Magoichi replied as Keiji began to laugh once more.

"A night of blissful pleasure. Trust me, she'll want some more, no matter how hard her father tries to keep her away from me." Magoichi continued, taking a sip of the warm sake.

"Oh really?" Keiji asked, raising an eyebrow. Magoichi's confidence in his romantic conquests are always bordering on arrogance.

"You bet. A Saika Magoichi experience is something one would keep in their hearts for the rest of one's life, you know?" he smiled and gestured at Ohsan-san as a sign of 'thank you'. Ohsan-san smiled back and waved him off with a swing of his hand and got back to tending to his other customers. Keiji let out another roaring laughter. Most men would tremble in fear whenever he laughed, but Magoichi was already immune to the former's loud and thundering voice.

"No, I do not know nor do I want to know what the hell a 'Saika Magoichi' experience is!"

"Don't worry, I won't ever give you or any other males in the land a Saika Magoichi experience. It's reserved only for the fairer sex."

"Well, whatever. You can obsess over and chase as many skirts as you want. What i'm dying for is a good fight…on the battlefield." Keiji remarked as he stood up, towering over everyone else in the tavern. He reached out and took his double-pronged spear firmly in his hands.

Magoichi raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Battle? What are you talking about? Did someone actually hired you? Without my help?" Magoichi chuckled mockingly. He remembered an incident where Keiji had tried to prove to him that Keiji's idiocy would not affect his employment and tried to offer his services to a certain warlord's son as a bodyguard. The mannerisms of the warlord's son rubbed off Keiji in the wrong ways and the warlord's son ended up with a broken nose on his face and Keiji ended up arrested.

Magoichi received word of it a few days after it occurred and took out his own savings to bail his friend out. Keiji's debt to Magoichi was still unpaid.

"Hey!" Keiji shouted. "That other time ain't my fault. My fist, it slipped and accidentally his the son of a bitch's face!" Keiji tried to convince Magoichi.

Magoichi raised another skeptical eyebrow.

"It's true! A fool's honor!"

"That doesn't amount to much." Magoichi

"But, yeah, sure it is true. I definitely believe your word for it. You still owe me 22470 gold. Don't you go on forgetting that. So, tell me about this job you have."

"Nah, it's not anything important or something." Keiji began and sat back down on his stool.

"Some guy wants me to clean up a group of bandits that were causing troubles in his village. It's somewhere near the outskirts of Kyoto. He offered me quite a generous sum of money for the job, too. So I thought…"

Magoichi was intently listening to Keiji's story when the doors of the crowded tavern opened. He could feel an air of grace appearing before them as the shapely silhouette of a woman entered the tavern.

He immediately picked up the soothing scent of cherry blossoms filling the air.


End file.
